Question

20ft, 12, b
What is the length of the missing leg? If necessary, round to the nearest tenth.
b=__ feet

Answer 1

To find the length of the missing leg in a right triangle where one leg is 12 feet and the hypotenuse is 20 feet, we can use the Pythagorean theorem, which states:

\[
a^2 + b^2 = c^2
\]

Here, \(c\) is the length of the hypotenuse (20 feet), \(a\) is one leg (12 feet), and \(b\) is the missing leg.

Plugging in the known values:

\[
12^2 + b^2 = 20^2
\]

Calculating the squares:

\[
144 + b^2 = 400
\]

Now, subtract 144 from both sides:

\[
b^2 = 400 - 144
\]

\[
b^2 = 256
\]

Now take the square root of both sides to find \(b\):

\[
b = \sqrt{256}
\]

\[
b = 16
\]

Thus, the length of the missing leg \(b\) is \(16\) feet.